Composers and Authors

Martin Read [1959–2012]

Martin Read was born in Birmingham, studying music at Colchester Institute and Goldsmiths College, London University, where he completed his MMus in composition. In 1988 he was admitted as a Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London and from 1996–2002 was an SPNM shortlisted composer. In May 1999, Martin was appointed as millennium composer to the Hampshire Music 2000 project, a position that required him to write for a large number of Hampshireʼs county, area and school ensembles, and which culminated in him conducting nearly 700 performers in his Mary Rose at the Schools’ Prom in the Royal Albert Hall.

Martinʼs music has been performed by numerous ensembles and choirs, and has been featured at many festivals – including Spitalfields, Southern Cathedrals, Corsham, Malvern, Farnham, Bath and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. It has also been performed throughout the USA and Europe; most recently, Earth Waiting was toured by Saxofonquadrat of Berlin on a concert tour of Usedom on the German/Polish border.

The 2009–2010 season was a busy time for Martin. In June/July 2009, Rainforest (a commission from Opera Minima) was revived and toured to ten venues in the East Midlands. May 2010 saw the culmination of work on Roundabout Basingstoke, a community opera, commissioned by the Anvil for Basingstokeʼs adult music-making ensembles, whilst July saw the culmination of Sea Woman, a performance project devised and created with young people from Winchester, based on a Scottish folk tale. It was performed to great acclaim at the Winchester Festival.

Martin was Head of Music at Alton College. In addition to the works published by Fand Music Press, listed below, his music is also published by Banks and Éditions À Coeur Joie.

We at Fand Music Press were extremely saddened by the sudden, untimely death of Martin Read in September 2012.

Further information about Martin Read can be found at the Martin Read Foundation Web site.

		Work	Vocal range	Duration	Published	Price
		Alice Lisle: her Pavane for oboe d’amore and piano			1994	£5.95
		Forces: Oboe d’amore, Piano
		Autumn for voice, cor anglais, viola and ʼcello		11½ mins	1995	Purchase options Score and parts: £14.50Score only: £8.45
		Words: John Keats Forces: Voice, Cor anglais, Viola, ’Cello
		Before History for solo Oboe		9¼ mins	18th April 2025	£5.50
		Forces: Oboe
		Death, be not proud for Sixteen-part Choir and Soloists (SSAATTBB divisi with S & A soloists)		6¼ mins	18th April 2025	£7.50
		Words: John Donne Forces: Soprano, Alto, Choir (SSAATTBB)
		Drawing Details in an Old Church for voice and piano	D to E♭'	5¼ mins	1996	£5.45
		Words: Thomas Hardy Forces: Voice, Piano
		Elegy for flute, ’cello and piano			1996	£9.45
		Forces: Flute, ’Cello, Piano
		Four Interludes from The Death of Colonel Boles ‘The Civil War Suite’ for recorder quintet		5½ mins	18th April 2025	Purchase options Score and parts: £11.50Score only: £9.95Parts only: £6.95
		Forces: Recorder Quintet
		Full Fathom Five for oboe (or clarinet in A), voice and piano	E to B		1996	£7.45
		Words: William Shakespeare Forces: Voice, Oboe, Clarinet in A, Piano
		Greek Island Triolets An entertainment for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, violin, viola and double bass			2000	£12.50
		Words: Wendy Cope Forces: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, French horn, Violin, Viola, Double bass
		He Tells Her for clarinet in A, viola, ’cello and soprano	E to G♯'		1998	£8.45
		Words: Wendy Cope Forces: Soprano, Clarinet in A, Viola, ’Cello
		Mary Rose Songs Four Sea Shanties for children's choir with piano		9¼ mins	18th April 2025	£10.95
		Words: Philip Sealey Forces: Children’s Choir, Piano
		Memo to Mike for piano duet			2003	£6.45
		Forces: Piano duet
		Mr Ptolemy; his Passions and Polemics for clarinet in A, bassoon, piano, two violins, viola and double bass			1997	Purchase options Score and parts: £12.50Score only: £7.45
		Forces: Clarinet in A, Bassoon, Two Violins, Viola, Double bass, Piano
		Scenes from Shakespeare for voice and piano	,B♭ to E'		1990	£7.45
		Words: William Shakespeare Forces: Voice, Piano
		SingSong for SSA(A) and piano			1996	£8.45
		Words: Christina Rossetti Forces: Choir (SSAA), Piano
		Snow Never Fell On His Grave for orchestra		13½ mins		Purchase options Score only: £11.50Parts only: £20.00
		Forces: Orchestra
		suggestions… for piano			1999	£7.45
		Forces: Piano
		The Angel of History Violin paraphrase		5 mins	2002	£5.00
		Forces: Violin
		The Civil War Suite for recorder ensemble			1999	£8.45
		Forces: Five Recorders
		The Death of Colonel Boles A Cantata for double SATB choir, solo SAB trio, T solo with tenor drum, solo cello and recorder quintet		25¼ mins	18th April 2025	Purchase options Score and parts: £25.00Score only: £15.50Parts only: £12.50
		Words: Philip Sealey Forces: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass, Choir (SATB), Double Choir (SATB), Tenor drum, ’Cello, Recorder Quintet
		The Fand Left-Hand Piano Album Contemporary Pieces for the Left Hand alone			2004	£11.45
		Forces: Piano (left hand)
		The Mythical Bugler for orchestra				Purchase options Score only: £9.50Parts only: £20.00
		Forces: Orchestra
		The Numbers Game Three Imaginary Journeys through a Magic Square for unaccompanied clarinet or saxophone			1996	£5.00
		Forces: Clarinet, Saxophone
		Three Pieces for solo oboe			1991	£6.45
		Forces: Oboe
		Three Songs from ‘As You Like It’ for voice, flute, clarinet and piano or harpsichord	,A to D'		1996	£8.45
		Forces: Voice, Flute, Clarinet, Harpsichord, Piano
		Three Studies for guitar			2001	£5.45
		Forces: Guitar
		Troper Fragment for ’Cello and Piano		10¼ mins	18th April 2025	£9.95
		Forces: ’Cello, Piano
		Water Music for cor anglais and string trio			1996	Purchase options Score and parts: £14.50Score only: £8.45
		Forces: Cor anglais, Violin, Viola, ’Cello